1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation system, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for guiding a location of the other party in a navigation system, in which location information of the other party's moving object is provided. In addition, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing traffic information in a navigation system, in which a variety of variable information generated on a traveling route of a moving object is received from a traffic information center.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a navigation system displays a current location of a moving object on a map, which is displayed on a screen, by using information received from a global positioning system (hereinafter, referred to as a “GPS”).
Additionally, the navigation system provides a driver with a variety of information necessary for a traveling of the moving object, such as a traveling direction of the moving object, a distance to the desired destination, a current traveling velocity of the moving object, a route that is previously set by a driver, an optimum route to the destination, and the like.
The navigation system (or GPS) is installed in various kinds of moving objects, such as vessels, airplanes and automobiles, and is widely used to check a current location and traveling velocity of the moving object or to determine a traveling route of the moving object. Specifically, the navigation system receives radio waves indicating latitude, longitude and altitude from a plurality of GPS satellites, performs a calculation operation, and visually or audibly informs the driver of a map information including the current location of the moving object.
FIG. 1 is a construction of a conventional navigation system.
Referring to FIG. 1, a GPS receiver 102 receives predetermined location data through an antenna for the purpose of a navigation service. Here, the location data are transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites 100. A velocity sensor/gyro sensor 104 constitutes a sensor part and senses a rotational angle and velocity of a moving object.
An input unit 106 is a user interface configured to receive various key signals from a user or to allow the user to set a traveling route therethrough.
A map data storage unit 108 stores map data and other additional information data. In general, the map data storage unit 108 is implemented with compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM).
A control unit 110 controls an overall operation of the navigation system. The control unit 110 determines a current location of the moving object by using a reception signal of the GPS receiver 102 and matches the determined current location with the map data stored in the map data storage unit 108.
In case the user inputs an origin and a destination through the input unit 106, the control unit 110 searches a traveling route from the current location of the moving object to the destination by referring to the map data stored in the map data storage unit 108. The searched traveling route is displayed on an electronic map of a display unit 114 through a display driving unit 112.
Additionally, the traveling route of the moving object can be guided by a guidance voice that is outputted to a speaker 118 through a voice guidance unit 116.
The navigation system receives GPS satellite signals from the plurality of GPS satellites 100 located over the earth and checks the current location and the traveling direction of the moving object to thereby track a traveling trace. Additionally, the navigation system provides the driver with the shortest route among several traveling routes from the origin to the destination.
Meanwhile, the conventional navigation system collects registration information of the moving objects traversing an arbitrary area, analyzes a traffic condition, and provides the analysis result of the traffic condition to the moving objects if it is requested. Accordingly, it is possible to cope with the traffic condition of a road where the user intends to travel, thereby providing a smooth traffic flow.
However, although there exist many variables, such as movement and stoppage, which change in real time on the traveling route of the moving object, there has been no method for collecting information on the variables in the traffic information center. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the conventional navigation system cannot provide accurately a service about the causes of the variables.
In addition, since the traffic information service is provided in a state that the variables according to the traveling of the moving object are not applied, the reliability of the service is lowered in the user's place, thereby degrading the convenience and reliability of the product.
In other words, according to the conventional navigation system, it is difficult to guide the traveling route while reflecting the road traffic condition that changes in real time. Additionally, it is difficult to modify a dynamic map data according to changes of the road that is opened newly or under construction.